What's Goin' On?

Instead of my usual rambling, sarcastic blog post, I'm sticking up a picture of Peter Gabriel I found on Facebook. No reason; just feel like it.

For those Peter Gabriel fans who want a legal recording of any of the gigs from the recently ended Back to Front tour, they are available for pre-order at The Music.  And yes, I ordered one from the Philly gig.  It's set to go out on Halloween, so I should get it in time for my birthday.

Perhaps you've read about the Swedish study that links creativity with mental illness, especially bipolar disorder (which neither I nor PG have been diagnosed with.)  What hasn't been trumpeted in the popular press is another finding by that same study of 1.2 million anonymous Swedes -- that, out of all the creative arts (including scientists), those that are most likely to commit suicide are writers.

Yikes.  I wonder if that's how the term "deadline" got coined.

Nope -- Still Not Recovered Yet From Peter Gabriel Concert

Eventually, I will recover from the Peter Gabriel concert at Philly last month.  Either that or I'll get on better drugs. 

In the meantime, the Back to Front Tour has now ended and it seems a good time was had by all.  Actor John Cusak showed up at the Santa Barbara Bowl with a boom box to re-enact that bit from a hit movie back in the 1980s that no one remembers -- except for that bit with Cusak holding up a boom box as it plays In Your Eyes.

Peter is now on an around-the-world vacation for at least one year. Whether that actually pans out to one Earth calender year and not one Gabriellian year is anyone's guess.

To soften the blow, Real World and Guitar Center is holding a killer contest where the winner gets an all-expenses paid trip to tour the studios.  More details here.  And no -- you don't get to meet PG.  He's on vacation, remember?  You do get a great trip and a lot of cool merchandise.  I'm not entering because I don't know if I'm allowed back in the UK.

In the meantime, music lovers can check out Crackerize, where rap song lyrics are translated into middle-class WASP English.  Apparently you can win cool merchandise there, too.  Due to the nature of rap lyrics, the site is for folks over 18.

You can also check out some great (and some merely good) music videos over at Pinterest boards such as Music Videos or My Favorite Music Videos (put together by yours truly.)

Recovering from Peter Gabriel at the Wells Fargo Center

Yea, I even hath givest in to temptation and doubted, but I have verily regained my faith in Peter Gabriel.  Say hallelujah, somebody!

The soundcheck and concert on 9/21/2012 at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center turned out to be a lot of fun and much more musically interesting than I expected.  There were about 100 people at the soundcheck, so no chance of meeting PG this time around. 

But bassist, blogger and photographer Tony Levin (PG's preferred bassist) did an extra-special something for fans.  He started this habit years ago, so it won't be news for long-time Tony Levin, Peter Gabriel or King Crimson fans.  Tony takes photos during the performance and often takes audience shots.  Personally, I think if you are in the same frame with Peter Gabriel un an untouched image, it counts as getting your picture taken with PG.

Tony put a whole page of his Philly concert experience up on his long-running blog. Papa Bear Records.  I'm in a few of the shots.  I was wearing my raven T-shirt (until Sledgehammer started, then the shirt was tossed off) because my nickname on the web since 1998 used to be "rraven" (yes -- with two "r"s) My favorite photo is one of PG standing at the mike and my face can be seen a little below his black-clad buttocks.  There's an epitaph.

More details after I recover.  And -- miracle of miracles! Praise Peter Gabriel! -- I picked up a couple of new clients and I've been too busy writing to go into a longer concert review now.  Rest assured, any readers having tickets to Peter Gabriel's Back to Front tour are in for a treat.  Be sure to bring at least $40 in spending money if you want drinks and a program, though.

Peter Gabriel's Back to Front Tour Kicks Off in Canada

Peter Gabriel's Back to Front tour to celebrate some year's anniversary of the release of So launched last night in Quebec.  There have been a lot of leaks and spoilers about the tour, but I'm not going to write any here.  One big change is that opening act Ane Brun was cancelled because of sudden illness.  She's apparently been replaced with a newly-hired PG backup female singer.  Personally, I would've preferred no opening act, but I'm weird that way.

Free Ticket Giveaway By Real World

This was announced on PG's Facebook page last week, but the link wasn''t working so idiot me thought I'd been blocked from entering as I'd been blocked from commenting.  (Yeah, I smell the sarcasm -- like PG's staff has so little to do that they know who I am. I'm fully aware of that, thank you.)

Anyway, there are only three shows as prizes for the sweepstakes -- Boston, Red Rocks (Colorado) and the Santa Barbara Bowl in California.  You are responsible for your own transportation, accommodation, sanitation, etc-ation.  I entered for Boston and fully expect to lose.  You're welcome, Eventual Lucky Bastard Winner!

This Is the Picture

Holy hand grenade, Batman!  With Quebec City down, this means that I've only five more days until attending Peter Gabriel's soundcheck and gig at Philadelphia. Well -- hopefully attending, anyway.  This electronic ticket thing is nerve-wracking.  I've also started a new medication this month which makes me sleep about 13 ours a day (yes day -- I'm up most of the night now. Hmmm.)

Usually, anyone purchasing a Peter Gabriel soundcheck/concert/T shirt package gets all of the info about when to show up and what identification to bring and what not at least a full week before the gig. Not this time. Well, at least the paranoia on concert day should keep me wide awake.  That and the migraines.  Oh, it'll be a swell time.  Nothing like a throbbing migraine at a rock concert to get intimate with one's own mortality.  I think that was a line cut out from Shakespeare's first draft of The Tempest.

Blah Blog Post Blah

Can you tell that I'm having a little trouble coming up with a blog post title?  I've had a jump in writing orders for the last couple of weeks, so that has sapped my creative energies.  Well, that's my excuse.  No -- not really -- I've a whole freakin' list of excuses.  Just call me Not-My-Damn-Fault Woman.

I haven't been writing over here so much because:

1. Petergabriel.com and the world's best bassist Tony Levin are doing better jobs than I am of posting the latest Peter Gabriel news (PG is currently in Quebec)
2. I've started a new psych med called mirtazipine
3. I'm eating more because of the mirtazapine -- and more -- and more -- and if I don't knock it off soon I'm going to wake up in a dark alley with nothing but a bag of refined granular sugar and a spoon.
4. I found some work helping a Groupon partner over at Independent Publishing (Go get 'em, freelance writers!) Writer's Access also seems to be getting more clients recently.
5. Still goofing around on Pinterest
6. Revamped my sleep and dream blog, Dreaming of Peter.  I've now made a grand total of a nickel in Google Ads from it.  Hey -- when I dream, I dream big.
7. Eating because of the mirtazipine
8. Sleeping more 'cause of the mirtawhatsahooey
9. Busy removing the spam from this blog (oy -- if I didn't have a consciousness, I'd probably be making a fortune writing for spammers.)
10. Trying to avoid the upcoming Presidential election.

In less than two week, I'll be (hopefully) attending a Peter Gabriel soundcheck and concert (with Tony Levin) in Philadelphia. I'm assuming they'll let me through the door.  You don't get a paper ticket with these soundcheck packages.  According to the links in Excuse #1, not much has been finalized for what is actually going to happen on stage.  It's four days before the first gig.  Let's see if they can get it together by then. 

So, what am I doing to psych myself up for the concert?  Listening to David Bowie on YouTube, of course.  Here's a tune I can't get out of my head so I'll inflict you with it.  Until next time;

Don't. Fucking. Care.

Yipperdoodle, the photo shows just  about how I'm doing.  My health has gone down as my Mom's health has improved.  I think my body is like the car at the end of The Blues Brothers.  Once Mom started getting better, my body just fell apart.

Later this month I get to see Peter Gabriel in concert and I'm actually not looking forward to it.  This is due an increase in migraines.  Nothing like attending a rock concert with a thumping migraine to make you be acutely aware of your mortality.

I had hoped that if Mom got better, I could go back to freelance writing.  Well, that hasn't happened.  I can't get paying clients (for some reason they all want me to work for free.)  It's gotten so I don't even WANT to write any more.  If I don't get paid for it, doesn't seem much of a point. 

I don't know how long I'll keep up my blogs since I don't make any money off of them.  I've already cut back on posting.  I'm spending most of my "free" time reading.  Since Peter Gabriel seems to be retiring (or not putting out any more albums)  there goes the overriding theme of this blog.  That's the second time this has happened.  The first time was when I realized that there wasn't a god and I became an atheist. 

It was much easier losing my faith in god than losing my faith in Peter Gabriel.

So 25th Anniversary Box Set Latest in Disappointments for Peter Gabriel Fans

The first Peter Gabriel album I ever bought was So.  I managed to purchase most of the singles, too.  Back in 1986, purchasing singles was a minor sport.  Last year (or was it the year before?) when PG announced on his website that a special 25th anniversary edition box set would be released, I was excited.  It sounded great! And since I no longer own a turntable, I could finally get this stuff on CD.

And then Gabriel gave us a double-whammy:

1) He's taking "a year" (read = "at least two years") off to travel the world (even though he has already done so.)  That wouldn't have been much, but since the end of last year, PG has been promising to "soon" release a new album -- perhaps the long-delayed I/O.

2) His website announced the the contents of the box set -- and they contain almost NOTHING of what fans expected.  No B-sides, no 5.1 CD and "new" material (apparently demos of 2 songs that were left unfinished back in 1986) only available on vinyl.

I love Peter, but he's really been taking the piss since 1995.  There are a lot of character defects I look over when dealing with a man I've fantasized about for over 25 years, but taking the piss is NOT one of them.

Paul Sincliar of SuperDeluxeEdition.com has published an open letter to PG and expects a response.  A response from a man who was 25 years in between KIDS?  Yeah, good luck with that, Paul.

To Peter Gabriel From His Fans

(No, I don't know the backstory to this Post Secret postcard, but it seemed appropriate.)

Well, as I metioned in the last post, Peter Gabriel has announced that at the end of the Back to Front tour (currently scheduled to end in February 2013) he, his two young sons and presumably some other family members, will be taking "a year" off to travel the world. 

Based on PG's past behavior, he's serious about this trip.  Also based on PG's past behavior, when he says "a year" he really means "perhaps a dog year, perhaps a Jupiter year -- but not 365 24-hour days." 

One thing is clear -- he won't be making any music during this time.  He may even retire.  Who knows?  But hopefully he will return to the studio and the stage after his wanderlust is sated.

Oh, now that I found that Post Secret postcard from fans to Peter, here's another from Post Rejects that is a little clearer.

Peter Gabriel Taking Off "A Year" -- Bad Luck for Fans

Well, 2012 started promising for Peter Gabriel fans, didn't it?  We have his first two concert films released on DVD, a So 25th anniversary edition and the promising Back to Front tour this summer.  PG also did some dates this year, such as the Hop Farm Music Festival (which got reviews filled with left-handed compliments.)

PG skipped his usual monthly vlog to fans in June due to being busy.  He's apparently writing a song for an Indian film-maker's movie, doing some Elders stuff and planning the Back to Front tour.  But in his July vlog, he dropped a bombshell:

He's taking a year off to travel the world.

Now, keep in mind this is Peter Gabriel we are talking about.  He's the guy that was 25 years between KIDS.  PG stated that this round the world trip was one he'd plannned on taking when he was 50.  So, he's managed to put that off for 12 years.  PG's definition of one year equals about 15 years for the rest of us.  By the time this trip ends, he'll be 77.  Of course, in his head, he probably will think he's still 18 (as he tells interviewers) but meanwhile many PG fans will dead and buried by the time he does something radical such as putting out an album of new material.

Enjoy the Back to Front Tour, folks, 'cause it sounds like this is going to be the last one.  He did mention that he plans to do a few Back to Front dates in South America during February of 2013, then he and the family are off.

Yeah, I'm ticked -- a year off to travel the world.  Chrsit Almighty -- he's a rock star and human rights chairty financier.  HE'S ALREADY TRAVELED THE WORLD.  What the fuck is there left to see? New landfills?  New stretches of deforestation?  Coke adverts in third world countries?  WHAT?

Anyway, here's his July 2012 vlog.  Off to sulk now.

Thinking of All Those Colorado Peter Gabriel Fans

In September, Peter Gabriel is scheduled to play at the iconic Red Rocks amplitheatre as part of the So Back to Front tour.  Whether Red Rocks will survive the current round of wildfires is actually pretty good. (Now look at image of Peter knocking on wood for luck.)

< <<  ------

Anyway, if you happen to be a Peter Gabriel fan from Colorado within smelling distance of the myriad of wildfires currently happening, let me be the first to say, "What the HELL are you doing on the freakin' Internet???  GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW."

I do have relatives in Colorado but they ain't leaving but are getting liquored up.  I guess that will make them more flamable.  Quite frankly, if I could only save the life of one person and the choice was any random Colorado PG fan and one of my Colorado relatives, I'll grab the PG fan, thank you.

Hopefully, in  September, the Red Rocks concert will go off spectacularly and the times of wildfires will be but a smoky memory.

Welcome New and Old Readers to This Blog

I took a look at my stats for The Perfect Blog Title (which I rarely do) and was shocked to see my readership has gone up.  Perhaps you are new to this blog.  Hello, there.  Welcome to my world.  What have you gotten yourself into?

I started this blog in 2006 to

• help me learn how to blog
• promote my writing
• discuss spirituality 

Let's just say that I failed in all three counts.  I was a witch/pagan back in 2006 but by 2009 I came out as an atheist.  My pagan years were fun and as religions go, it's the best, but jut rings hollow to me now instead of sounding like sweet, clear music.

Shift to Peter Gabriel

How's that for a segue? 

In the last three years or so I've mostly blogged about singer/songwriter/humanitarian Peter Gabriel.  Quite frankly, I love Peter more than I loved any Deity.  Anyway, my shift in blog focus was due to a lack of information from Petergabriel.com but this has really picked up in the past year.  It used to be that I had to hit Google News for PG news (which I would then pass on), but now PG's official Facebook page has taken up the slack, rendering my blog posts superfluous. 

I will still post about Peter Gabriel as the spirit moves me, but check out the Peter Gabriel links on the left for the latest PG news.

And Then 2011 Hit

Last year, my Mom's health has dropped like a rocket.  She took me and my dog in when we were homeless, so you better believe I've been taking care of Mom 24/7 ever since.  This means I have very little time for writing.  Mom's been paying most of my bills because I take care of her, the house and the pets.  I'm really ashamed that I can't contribute more financially to the household, but there it is.

At this point, I suppose I should write something inspiring like "Now that the we content industry has dried up, I can use this as a new opportunity to expand my craft and pursue a new evolution in freelance writing" but that would be bullshit and I will not bullshit you, Gentle Reader.  My web content freelance writing jobs are gone and I have not been able to find other writing work and IT SUCKS.  I used to make an average of $50 a day -- now I'm lucky if I make $5 per day.

I don't see this as an "opportunity."  I see this as a huge neon sign pointing to me with an arrow saying LOSER!

I do not make any money on this blog or my WordPress blog ReasonsNotToCommitSuicide so I can have absolute writing freedom.  So, I don't know what direction The Perfect Blog Title will take from here on out, but at least you won't find any bullshit.

My Demotivational Posters

So, why did I stick these up?  Because I want to place them on one of my Pinterest boards and you can't pin anything from Facebook, where these beauties were originally stored.

That's pretty much the highlight of my life recently -- playing with Pinterest.  It's not like I could write for clients because I have so few of them.

I am still mostly taking care of Mom, who had a knee replacment surgery on 24 May.  She's able to dress herself now (hey -- that may not sound like much, but get YOUR knee replaced.)

Hugo is Two Years Old

Today is Hugo's birthday.  He's 2.  Everyone grab a can in your mouth and strut around like Hugo.

I'm Going to See Peter Gabriel Concert in Philly

After a huge drama that I really didn't need, I finally managed to snare a ticket for Peter Gabriel's concert on 21 Spetember at the Wells Fargo Whatchahoosey (better known as That Place Where the Flyers Play.)  I didn't have to deal with Ticketbastards this time around.  No, this time I had to butt heads with ComcastTix.com.  Unfortuately, some other people had problems with this website, but other people managed to get their tickets without much hassle (other than paying three figures for a ticket.)

Since my Mom's health is going downhill, I'm her caretaker.  Since my profession (freelance writing) has also sunk faster than the Titanic, I cannot afford to hire a "Mom sitter" so no travelling to New York or Germany anymore.  This may be my last Peter Gabriel concert.  Since it may be my last PG concert, I thought I'd splurge and get a Front Row Package (which includes admission to the soundcheck.)  It turns out that Front Row Packages were not available for sale in Philly, even though they were advertised on ComcastTix.com.  I found this out by actually phoning Comcast and trying to get tickets that way.

The pre-sale started at 10am on 29 May.  No, I didn't mention that fact on this blog for 2 reasons:

1. Mom had a knee replacement and she's even more crippled than usual.  It's like taking care of a 200 lb baby that can talk back to you.
2. I wanted to have the best shot of getting a good ticket.  The less PG fans knew about the pre-sale, the better for me.  So I'm an arsehole.  Get over it.

Have you ever had a knee replacement?  Unless you have really good drugs, it's not a lot of fun.  You are basically stuck in a recliner or a bed 24/7.  You are so stiff and sore that you cannot wipe yourself after you use the toilet.  Since Mom could only walk a few steps, she couldn't even get to the toilet and so uses a commode. 

Keep in mind Mom took me and my dog in when we were homeless.  I have no problem with cleaning the commode.  But it's a big production to get Mom on and off the commode.  So I told Mom again and again that I would be busy from 10 to 10:30am.  I got up at 7 to be sure she ate breakfast, used the commode and took medication before 10am.

So you know what happened at exactly at the stroke of 10am.  That's right. "Rena -- I have to pee."

"No, you don't."  I replied, 'cause I have such a stellar bedside manner.  "I'm getting my concert ticket. We discussed this."

"Don't be mean to me.  Making me hold my urine is mean to me."  Now, because of Mom's medications, this isn't true.  Her bladder sends her false signals.  She often claims she has to urinate and finds that nothing's going on down there.  This is the old "choose between me and X" scenario that we all love to loved ones through, don't we?

So I had to abandon ticket-quest and go help Mom.  By the time I got back to the website, it said that all of the presale tickets had sold out.  That's when I phoned and was told the same thing.  I was on Facebook with another PG fan from Florida who said to keep on trying with  the website.  And lo and behold, a ticket for Row 4 suddenly appeared on screen.

Man -- it was less stress to stand in line for 24 hours to get a ticket, like in the good old days.

Peter Gabriel to Sing New Songs During Back to Front Tour

Announced today on Peter Gabriel's Facebook page:

Peter is touring the USA to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking, iconic album So...With the So band..
Playing So as a whole set as well and old and, wait for it........ NEW songs too.
Pre sale ticket password is the word sledgehammer.

New music from Peter Gabriel is like Venus' arms.  Peter has sung new (ie -- unreleased on offical albums) songs in past tours, such as in 2004 when "Animal Nation" and "Babyman" made some appearances and managed to get on a concert DVD. Peter does have a tendeny to ticker with the set list throughout an entire tour, with two or three songs done on a rotational basis or some being done early in the tour onlt to be dropped later.

Also interesting is that So will be performed in its entirety, which has not been done before.  "That Voice Again" has only been performed a couple of times in a quiet version of Peter and the piano.

Tickets for the Canadian shows are already available, but tickets for the bulk of the tour will not appear until Tuesday, 29 May at 10 AM Eastern Standard Time.

Meanwhile, Mom is on an enviable mixture of morphine and Percoset as she recovers from her knee replacement surgery.  But she is running a fever and has a poor appetite.  In the next couple of days, she may have to be moved to another medical facility if she still cannot stand up by herself.

Peter Gabriel Touring with a Band in North America 2012

... including Philadelphia on 21 September!  He's also hitting Las Vegas (where I guess hitting is the operative word), the Hollywood Bowl and Red Rocks at Colorado.

The Back to Front tour is in celebration of the 25th (or it 26th?) release of the monster hit album So.  Gabriel is hoping to reunite all of the band members from the This Way Up tour of 1986 & 1987.  Apparently, Tony Levin (the bassist)  is a yes. (PHEW!)  I'd love to see Manu Katche on drums backing PG again, but rumor is that he's having back problems, so it's most likely that Ged Lynch may be on the sticks.

There are barely any details being released other then where and when the gigs are and that Ticketbastard -- er, Ticketmaster seems to be in charge of the tickets again.  You will need a password to get into the pre-sale.  There will be soundchecks and soundcheck ticket packages for most of the gigs.  Check out Petergabriel.com for all of the latest tidbits.

I'm really grateful that Real World made this announcement now while I am freaking out about my Mom having to go under the knife for a knee replacement in less than 48 hours.  Tickets for the Philly show go on sale 5 days after she gets her first dose of painkillers.  I figure out that by the time the drugs wear off, it'll be nearly a month after the Peter Gabriel concert.  And THEN she'll kill me when she finds out how many hundreds of dollars I dropped down for just one ticket.

Well, I've packed a lot of living into my 42 years.  At least I'll die with a smile on my face.

Peter Performing in Germany

Peter Gabriel and the New Blood Orchestra is currently doing a short tour of German tour, wrapping up in Poland's Life Festival.  Peter is currently scheduled to perform with the orchestra a final time in the Hop Farm Music Festival on 29 June in the UK -- but you never know where the orchestra is going to pop up again. 

Peter is supposedly going to making an autumn tour announcement in the June Full Moon Club Video.  Since this tour is apparently to promote the 25th (and a half) anniversary of the release of So, the tour may be a variation on the 1986 and 1987 This Way Up tour.  That's the rumor, anyway.  We'll find out in June whether there will be a tour and where it will be.  Rumor is that it will be in North America.

While the rumor mill goes on, New Blood Live has been released.  I'm enjoying it more than New Blood.  I'll write a reveiw of it eventually.  My mother is scheduled for knee-replacement surgery later this month and I'm busier than any bee.  Man -- no wonder worker bees only live a few weeks.  They must die of exhaustion.

Secret World Live  is set for a fancy-schmancy blu-ray release on 2 July.  It had been previously released on regular DVD and  before that VHS.  Remember VHS?  Wasn't it cool?  And the freakin' VHS players lasted longer than the DVD players.  Considering that POV  is set to be released in a new version on DVD at around the same time, it looks like there's going to be a lot of PG merchandise in the shops before the holidays.

Hmmm.  Suddenly I have a craving for alphabet soup.

Petergabriel -- the Racehorse

Something odd popped up on Google News under the search term "peter gabriel" -- he was running in a race in New Zealand.  I wondered at the sudden career change, considering that Peter Gabriel is not exactly a gold-medal winning athlete.

It turns out Petergabriel was a thoroughbred racehorse and not the singer-songwriter.  In the United States, if you want to name your racehorse after a living person, you have to get written permission from that person.  I'm not sure what the Jockey Club rules are in New Zealand.

This Petergabriel  was foaled on 10 October 2005.  He's a son of Senor Pete.  He's listed as brown, which usually means dark bay (translation: mostly black with brown highlights.)  He's won just over $33,000 (NZ). 

And he's a gelding.

Anyway, I hope this is one racehorse that doesn't wind up in a can or as an entree.

Taking a Little Break

My mother is having knee replacement surgery next month. This is on top of her two fractured vertebrae, her fractured pelvis (healing fine, thank you) and cracked leg. So you know what that means -- a break for me from writing that doesn't make me any money, such as this blog.

My only good news at the moment was that I won a writing contest over at Knoji. I won a $200 gift voucher to Amazon.com. I bought a heating pad for Mom, treats for the dogs, filter cartridges for the fish, two Real World CDs I had back in the 1990s, pre-ordered Peter Gabriel's Live Blood and several books on horses in art, dogs in art, Genetics for Dummies and a biography of Caligula.

I've got books to read and a mother and pets to care for. See you later!

Peter Gabriel News for March 30, 2012

Just a couple of quick notes and then I'm off to collapse again.

New gigs for Peter Gabriel and the New Blood Orchestra:

13 May Life Festival (next to Auschwitz) Poland

29 June Hop Farm Music Festival Kent, UK

The Classic ALbums: So rockumentary aired on BBC4 and a few PG fans took pity on us poor, pathetic, clucking North American PG fans and posted it to YouTube. Thanks to Meeks Geneis Cafe and Ovian. Here's the first 10 minutes to whet your appetite: